Amententia
by missshelllake
Summary: Hermione and Draco struggle with their adult lives and find strength within each other. Rated M just to be sure.


"Amortentia: The love potion. When brewed it holds a distinct smell to each person individually. For example, I smell..."

And that's where it started, hermione was student teaching a class for college, in that class contained a few people she knew. Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom sat in the front row listening. And in the back hermione saw Draco Malfoy lift his head when she started speaking of her topic.

He smirked. Hermione, the Brightest Witch of her Age stood in the front of his college classroom

speaking of the love potion. Freshly mown grass, new parchment, spearmint and toothpaste, she had said. He remember when she spoke of it before, in Hogwarts. He had had a small crush on her back then. He thought she was pretty and smart, though he never told her. She was a mudblood, after all, and that had matter back then. Now he couldn't care less, she was intellegent, beautiful, and nothing like the silly witches he played with on the weekends. She would never think of him though. And how wrong Draco was when he came to that conclusion

Hermione paused slightly. She stilled smelled Mown grass and spearmint and parchment and even the toothpaste, but somehow a new smell lingered in the potion. Some sort of cologne? "Uhh..." She stammered a bit. "I smell grass, spearmint, parchment, and toothpaste." She mumbled out quickly. She secretly too another smell of the potion, it was definitely cologne, she just didn't know who's.

Hermione quickly finished up her lesson explaining the caution's of love potion and how bad things happen when people who are not truly in love can meddle with fate. Just as Lord Voldemort had. But Draco hadn't been paying attention, he was thinking of the confused look Hermione had when she smelled the potion for the second time. She obviously smelled something different than she had when they were kids. He decided then that he would talk to her after class.

After another hour of lecture from the professor, class concluded with the reminder that Dean was to present next week. Draco pack up and lingered a bit to wait for Hermione.

Hermione packed her things after over her presentation with the teacher, walking out she noticed a faint smell. Did she get some potion on her? She was checking her coat and jeans to see if she had spilled any when she heard a deep voice behind her.

"Hello, Granger." Draco smirked as she froze and slowly turned around.

"Hello, Malfoy." She replied a little gruffly and straightened out her black jacket. He took a few steps closer to walk next to her and she complied. Walking down the hallway, toward the cafeteria area, she noticed the smell she had smelled in the cafeteria had gotten stronger. Was that Draco? She wondered.

"Are you smelling me, Granger?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Did he smell bad or something? He turned his head and smelled his muggle t-shirt. No it all checked out.

"No!" She lied, a little to quickly. Blush rose to her cheeks and she turned away a little.

"Liar." He laughed. "Do I smell good at least? Spare me walking around smelling like a troll, will you?" Chuckling at himself he looked at her. She relaxed a little at his joke.

"Umm, yeah." She blushed again, then chastised herself for acting like a school girl. "You smell fine." _Like my Amortentia potion. _She added to herself. How could that happen, to smell a person in your love potion? She shook her head.

He smirked. He was started to understand, her pausing at the potion, smelling the potion twice, checking her clothing when he was near, and even smelling him. "Got any plans? I'm about to sit down for some coffee, if you care to join." He expected her to say she was busy, or to tell him maybe another time, but instead she agreed.

Hermione and Draco had become civil, and even come to talk occasionally. He was the same boy from Hogwarts, and Hermione found Draco charming and smart. Though, she thought he would never think of her.

Sitting down at the table Draco brought over two coffee's and handed one to Hermione. "So," Draco started. "We haven't spoken for awhile. What's new?"

She chuckled at this, "Not very much, Ron and Lavender's wedding was a few weeks ago." She remarked, trying to feel indifferent.

"I always thought it'd be you marrying Ron. You two were quite the item back at Hogwarts." He said. He somewhat felt bad for Hermione. Ron had cheated terribly, for a year before Hermione found out. The story was headlines for 2 weeks.

"I did too." She said quietly. Draco decided not to push it.

He sipped his coffee, studying her across the table. She had really turned into quite the beauty. She was long legged, her hair was tamed into neat pretty waves, and her light make up brought out her doe brown eyes. "Any new guys then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Shaking her head, she answered. "This is about as close as I have come to date since the last time we spoke. That was when I was dating Wood." She laughed. "I have been approached, but I was never really interested."

His heart fluttered a bit when she said this. Maybe he could ask her out. He had wanted her for a while, and now here she was, vulnerable with lots of feeling to get out. He smirked at her, but didn't say anything.

"What ever happened to you and Pansy? You two were quite the pair back then." She asked, slightly hoping he would say they weren't together anymore.

"Her? Yuck, never again will I touch suck a horrid being." He cringed to add effect. When she smiled a little bigger he knew he had her. And her was what he wanted to have.

"She was awful, wasn't she?" She chuckled lightly. Looking into his cool grey eyes, she couldn't help but smile wider. It was nice to talk to someone other than Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna again. She wouldn't mind talking to Draco again either.

They sat at the table in the cafeteria for another hour making easy conversation, finishing his third coffee Draco finally plucked up the words to ask her out for dinner. "Are you busy this evening? I know a nice place to eat in muggle London."

Hermione was surprised when he asked, was he asking her on a date? "I would love to come." She smiled brightly, even if it wasn't a date it would be nice to get out and do something for once. "I don't believe I have any plans."

Draco did a mental fist pump and said, "Wear something nice, maybe like a sun dress. Then we can go dancing if you want also." He smiled back at her. "Shall I pick you up at your house at 5:15?"

Hermione checked her watch. It was already almost 2 o' clock. "Yes sure. I can owl you directions when I get home." They both stood and threw away their cups, Draco held open the door for her placing a hand on her back to guide her out. An electric shock dance on his finger tips, when she jumped he knew she felt it too. Saying goodbye, they both aparated away, neither mention the strange feeling, definitely magical, that passed between them.

When Hermione arrived at her house, she had bought it with the money awarded to her for the defeat of Voldemort. The rest went into her saving and school. Quickly writing up her address she sent a delivery owl to Malfoy. She would go out tomorrow to buy her own, she thought she would be using owling a lot now.

She sat down for a cup of tea before heading up to change for her date.

Draco smile when a ministry owl pecked his window. She had kept her word and sent him an aparating address. He looked at the clock and noticed it was turning on three. Walking into his closet and pulling out his clothes for that night, then heading to the shower.


End file.
